Expert: Tariq Bamadhaj

Spring cleaning can be a real chore. So much work to do yet you also want to spend time outside enjoying yourself. If only spring cleaning the home was as quick and easy on my Pocket PC. You see, rather than leaving my Pocket PC unattended, I prefer to take small steps (and some of them are even automated) so that I don't have to worry about sluggish performance or low memory. So what do I do?

DinarSoft MemMaid

This is the cleaner I swear by. Sure there are others out there, but MemMaid does what I need it to do that is to clean out all the temp files, dead registries and shortcuts and everything else in between that just takes up precious memory on my device. And best part about it? I can schedule these cleanups so that it does it all when I am asleep. Wake up the next morning and my device is as clean as possible.

iLauncher

Here's an application that you should consider. It's got a built-in task manager and when you tap the X (close) button, it actually closes the application instead of loingering in the background and taking up RAM. With iLauncher, you get to nip the biggest cause of device slowdown by closing applications when you no longer need them.

pBar

If iLauncher is too much or you do not want a commercial product, go ahead and get a copy of pBar for yourself. It's free, lightweight and has a great task manager and close button as well.

Bottom line, you'll definitely need something to close those applications properly at the very least. Having a task manager would be great for those applications that launch without your knowing.

Organizing Files

Sping cleaning is all about having things organized (for me at least) and that goes for the files on my device as well. I have a special folder called CABs for all my CAB files. I create subfolders in My Documents for Word Documents, PDF Documents and Excel Documents. I also create a folder for Backups. Even my pictures and videos have their own folders.

You get the idea. I have a folder for each of those files that I used a lot so that when I always know where to find the files I need. And I have a copy of it on my PC so in case anything happens to the storage card (touch wood), getting (most) of the files would not too difficult.

There you have it. How I do my spring cleaning. Or rather, how I go about organizing and running my device so that I don't have to spend a lot of time with spring cleaning. What's yours?

So the Expert topic for this month is what feature(s) we would like to add to Windows Mobile, and I must say, there are quite a lot in my list but let's narrow it down to what can be done:

Finger Friendly

I mean, come on Microsoft, why should I be taking out my stylus to navigate my phone when those iPhone users just need to use their fingers?

Multi-Touch

This will be really useful in making web browsers that much better (think manual zoom ala iPhone).

Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates

You have a built-in Windows Update in WM6 but why was it never used? Are you saying that there was no need to update the device since May 2007 (when it was first released to consumers)? What about the trojan that surfaced some weeks back? Don't you think that could have been fixed with an update? This could be that there is no standardization because manufacturers tweak the OS to their needs but if that's the case, I would rather have standardization like my desktop than to not have useful updates.

Open Source

ActiveSync is pretty useful but not everyone has Outlook and not everyone uses Windows. Maybe you could spare a thought to the (growing) number of people who are using Linux and open up the sync process to make it easier for everyone?

There are other features that I would like to see added like better power management for a longer talktime/standby as well as thinner designs but I feel that these are more dependent on the manufacturers and technology out of its hands (for now). But the ones listed above are what it can implement should it choose to.

What are the feature(s) you want to see in Windows Mobile?

Choosing a Windows Mobile hack or tweak for me is not easy because I use so many of them on my Glofiish X500 that I actually have a list of tweaks I should apply after every soft reset. Like Dale Daniels’s tweak, mine also goes back to basics. Actually, it’s something that was available in Windows Mobile 2003/SE editions but later removed from Windows Mobile 5 (and 6). Can you guess what it is?

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One thing that really bothered me about GPS was the TTF (time to fix). This could be anywhere between instantaneous to several minutes and is dependent on several factors such including weather and coverage. To summarize, getting a fix can be a tricky affair. But what if you could always start the GPS on your device from a hot start, the one that gives you the fastest TTF, no matter when was the last time you used your GPS device? Would you be interested in getting it?

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Have you seen the new Windows Mobile 7 (WM7)? Even before Windows Mobile 6.1 was launched, a new article showcasing WM7’s features surfaced. To summarize, the platform will focus on touch and motion gestures, among other features. Reading through the article, it sure looks like Microsoft might have a winner here. But considering that it will only be launched in 2009, I wonder if another platform might just implement it sooner and steal its thunder?

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